This book is part of a three-book set with Knudson's books Zanballer and Zanbanger. All three feature a star high school athlete, Suzanne, who is not only great at sports (football, basketball, and long-distance running) but she LOVES to play them competitively, even fighting for the right to play on the boys' football team and basketball team at her high school. I loved these books when I was a kid! (I think I read these books in junior high.) The main character is a strong female figure, and she inspired me to join sports teams when I got to high school -- these books, more than anything else, helped me imagine myself as an athlete. There are other fantastic ideas in this book: Zan's best friend is a nerd, and guess what? It turns out it's okay to be a nerd. Zan's best friend is a boy who is not interested in playing sports himself, and that's okay too. He and Zan have a healthy friendship and work together to help Zan achieve her goals (e.g. to become a faster runner). I just bought these books (used copies because the books are no longer in print) for my 10-yr-old niece who loves to read, and she loves these books too. I'm happy that this is becoming a family tradition!

~bint ( )